Rise of FLiRT variants of COVID-19 in the United States Rise of FLiRT variants of COVID-19 in the United States Content Editor: Dr. Soundhar May 22, 2024 John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health International health, COVID-19, Infectious disease. KP.2 belongs to the variant type known as “FLiRT ,” which has been derived from the JN.1 variant. FLiRT is the term used for a family of different variants that have picked up the same set of mutations. FLiRT’s or FLiPs refer to the position of spike protein, which in this case is 456, 346, and 572. Two of these mutations, 456 and 346, act by eliminating binding sites for antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2. However, in addition to evading antibodies, it has lost some ability to bind to receptors and enter the cells. The difference is just one or two amino acids, so there are still a lot of other places where antibodies can bind. Fortunately, the JN.1 infection does provide strong protection against all FLiRT variants. After years of vaccination and infection, most people can fight off an infection without much concern . The period of infectiousness remains the same as in JN.1 and previous Omicron variants. It is contagious 1-2 days before developing and a few days after symptoms subside . It is recommended to test oneself if one is feeling sick, which will help in early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Since this variation has the potential to have a severe impact on the susceptible population, extreme caution should be exercised. Click here to read more.

Tuberculosis preventive therapy among anti-retroviral therapy recipients Content Editor: Dr. Anubhav Mondal April 4, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM Tuberculosis, AIDS, Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy, International Health News Between October 2016 and October 2023, over 13 million ART recipients completed TPT in 36 countries through President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) -supported programs. 1.68 crore TPT initiations were reported from 2017 to 2023. TPT completion rates climbed from 56% in FY18 Q2 to 87% in FY23 Q2, then dropped to 86% in FY23 Q4. Initiation rates among clients on ART for less than 6 months (ART-naive) reached 59%. Overall, 13,323,186 people with HIV have finished TPT in PEPFAR-supported programmes that provide TPT statistics. Among ART-naive customers, those aged <15 years had reduced commencement rates compared to those aged ≥15. TPT completion rates were lower among ART-naive customers than ART-experienced ones. Click here to read more Previous Next

Census-2021 to resume after freezing boundaries January 25, 2023 at 5:24:40 AM Demography The decennial census exercise (ensuing census) has been postponed till September, as the date of freezing of administrative boundaries has been extended till June 30, 2023. As per norms, census can be conducted only three months after freezing of boundary limits of administrative units such as districts, sub-districts, tehsils, talukas and police stations. The completion of both the phases of census will take at least 11 months. The first phase of Census 2021 includes the House listing and Housing Census along with updating the National Population Register (NPR). The second and main phase of the decennial census is the population enumeration. Previous Next

Protecting the mental health of those who protect us: A novel initiative for the Armed Forces Content Editor: Dr. Manjeet Mohanty January 10, 2024 at 1:30:00 PM Mental Health, Armed Forces, Telemedicine A dedicated Tele-MANAS cell was inaugurated at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune . This approach was launched due to the various cultural, and environmental stressors prevalent among armed forces. The cell will be functional 24*7 and will be manned by psychological counselors. The Cell is an extension of the Tele-Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States initiative by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The cell will act as a central assistance center for all Armed Forces beneficiaries across India. The government is committed to addressing mental health challenges in the Armed Forces, recognizing their unique stressors. Currently, there are 46 functional Tele-MANAS cells operating across 34 States/UTs, handling over 2000 calls daily and receiving more than 4.7 lakh calls since its launch in October 2022. Previous Next

‘Hospital at home’ Programs remain concentrated in larger, urban Not-for-profit and academic hospitals Content Editor: Dr Soundhar February 22, 2025 at 2:22:18 PM Health Program, International health, Health innovations The ‘Hospital-at-home’ program was adopted from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS ) which was established in November 2020 allows hospitals to deliver care to patients in their own homes instead of traditional admission in hospital in case of acute illness. In the cross-sectional analysis of short-term acute care hospitals in the United States, the study compared hospitals that applied waivers between November 2022 and December 2022 (pre-extension hospitals) and those after that (post-extension hospitals). Study found that adoption of waiver remained concentrated in urban, not-for-profit and academic hospitals. Study implicated that if CMS wants to expand the reach of Hospital-at-Home, then work must be done to ensure and incorporate rural and non-teaching hospitals. It indicates that these types of hospitals are not seeking to create these programs on their own, because of resources involved in it to sustain their operation. Previous Next

The outbreak of Legionnaire's: Lenient regulations lead to multiple cases Content Editor: Dr. Anubhav November 6, 2024 at 5:00:00 PM Infectious diseases, Outbreak investigations, International health Twelve cases of Legionnaires' disease were reported among passengers on two cruise ships between November 2022 and June 2024. The regulations applied to private hot tubs are lenient, and when improperly maintained and run, they provide ideal conditions for Legionella development and transmission. Aerosols from private hot tubs can transfer diseases to public spaces. The researchers advise cruise ship water management personnel to inventory and assess private balcony hot tubs and modify public hot tub maintenance and operating protocols for private outdoor hot tubs. Previous Next

Nafithromycin : India’s first indigenous antibiotic Nafithromycin : India’s first indigenous antibiotic Content Editor: Dr. Swathi November 28, 2024 Press Information Bureau AMR, Innovation, Research The antibiotic has been developed by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC),” and is one of the first to be developed globally in its class in 30 years. The antibiotic will be available under the trade name, “Miqnaf”, and is aimed to treat community-acquired bacterial pneumonia. The drug would be prescribed as a three-day regimen, and has been found to be 10 times more effective and safer than the current options. The antibiotic has been observed to cause minimal GI side effects, no significant drug interactions and has not been shown to be affected by food consumption. Currently, the approval from Central Drugs Standard Control Organization is awaited before its public use. This step underscores the role of innovation and collaboration in tackling public health concerns.

Dismissal of plea for late-term abortion Dismissal of plea for late-term abortion Content Editor: Dr.Pradipta.S February 5, 2024 Social Trends MTP act, Abortion On January 31, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of a 26-year-old widow seeking late-term pregnancy termination, emphasizing the need to prioritize the protection of the fetus's right to life. Termination was denied due to the gestation period exceeding the 24-week limit permitted by Rule 3(B) of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Rules. The Court suggested adoption if she wished, on grounds of mental trauma following the birth of the newborn. Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Prasanna Bhalachandra Varale referred to the medical board's findings of no abnormalities in the fetus. AIIMS recommended extending the pregnancy by two to three weeks for maternal and fetal well-being. Seeking court permission, a medical board was formed to assess her health condition.

Trend analysis of underweight and obesity worldwide (1990-2022) Trend analysis of underweight and obesity worldwide (1990-2022) Content Editor: Dr. Immanual Joshua March 18, 2024 The Lancet Public Health Nutrition A study published in Lancet estimated the prevalence of underweight and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022. It reported that the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men, and it increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 (70%) for men. The countries with the highest combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were Polynesia, Micronesia, and the Caribbean for both sexes. The study recommended that a healthy nutrition transition is needed to address the remaining burden of being underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesity.

Innovative techniques in detection of arsenic in Water Content Editor: Dr. Shubham May 6, 2024 at 4:20:25 PM Environmental Health, Arsenic toxicity Researchers at IIT-Madras developed a point-of-need diagnostic tool for testing underground water samples in rural areas. As explained, the tool can be used for up to 200 meters underwater in lakes and other water bodies as well. The fundamental element of the tool is a micro bottle optical resonator, a device as small as a grain of sand, fabricated using optical fiber, and whose surface is coated with a chemical sensitive to arsenic. The tool consists of an optical tip (probe), as small as a skinny ballpoint pen, with the tip attached to a spool of fiber that can extend around 200m when drawn out. This battery-operated device detects the reflected light, measuring the levels of arsenic in water. The pen will be immersible in water. Prof Ravinder K Jain, University of Mexico, explained how the notch in the laser spectrum will shift when the contaminant (arsenic) binds to the surface of the micro bottle resonator, and this shift will indicate the levels of arsenic in the water . This tool can sense even very low levels (below parts per billion levels) of arsenic within a few seconds after the probe is dipped to determine the safety of drinking water.. In 2017, around 240 million people across the country were found to have arsenic levels higher than normal, even today, levels are measured using electro-chemical sensors that are not very efficient at detecting further lower levels. Previous Next